How To Prepare For A Garage Sale

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After spring cleaning, you may have found older items that you realize you no longer need. You can easily turn your junk into someone else’s treasure by hosting a garage sale. Garage sales are a great way to eliminate clutter while making some cash.

It’s not always just as simple as putting your items outside for sale. You’ll want to properly prepare your garage and your items for sale if you want it to be successful. Here are a few garage sale tips you can use to have a great experience.

Preparing For A Successful Garage Sale

It’s likely that at one point or another, you’ve stopped by a garage or yard sale. A garage sale is not only a great way to clean out your home and make a few extra bucks, but it’s also an eco-friendly way to repurpose old items. As the old saying goes “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” You may have just what someone needs stored away, ready to be used again a second time! In order to accomplish all of these goals, here are a few tips for a successful garage sale:

Research Local Permits

Organize Your Garage

Sort & Price Your Items

Get Change

Advertise Your Sale

Keep Your Sales Organized

Research Local Permits

Before you even begin pricing your items for a garage sale, you’ll want to make sure you’re allowed to have one first. Some areas require you to have a garage sale permit or abide by specific policies. Often, larger cities will limit you to having only three garage sales a year, require you to pay a fee or only have a sale on a permitted day. It’s better to follow the rules than having to pay expensive fines, so look up what your area requires before organizing your sale.

Organize Your Garage

Curb appeal is important when it comes to a garage or yard sale, not to mention the actual condition of your garage. A garage sale is a perfect time to tidy up and sort what you want to sell from what you want to keep. Getting garage organizers can be a helpful investment not only to make your garage look great for a sale, but also for keeping the area clutter-free in the future.

Sort & Price Your Items

The most tedious part of garage sale preparation is sorting and pricing your items. When people are browsing, they’ll want to see your items for sale in categories. Try to keep kitchen items, bath items, yard tools and more grouped together to make for easier shopping. Speaking of grouping, you might want to create bulk buys for certain items such as books, DVDs or dish sets. Price them so that the buyer gets a deal if they purchase more than one, helping you sell additional items faster.

When it comes to larger items, you may want to be ready to haggle. Start at a higher price point, with the expectation that a potential buyer will likely try to bargain. For pricier electronics, you may want to have a power cord handy or a way of displaying that they still work. Try to find ways to prove the value of these items so you can get the most money possible.

Get Change

Most people come to garage sales with the expectation of paying in cash, so you’ll want to be prepared with change if needed. It’s a good idea to get at least 20 one-dollar bills and 10 five-dollar bills to help you give the right amount for customers. By pricing items at dollar bill amounts, you can help reduce the amount of change you’ll need. For example, pricing smaller items at $5 instead of $6.

Advertise Your Sale

To ensure a successful sale, you want to make sure people actually attend! If you have a printer, make up some fliers to hang around your neighborhood and at local businesses, if it’s allowed. There are many groups on Facebook dedicated to spreading the word for free about your local garage sale. There are also websites dedicated to listing garage sales, such as Garage Sale Finder. Online resources can be key to a great sale.

You’ll also want to tell your neighbors. It’s not just a common courtesy, but they can also help you spread the word to other people they know in the area.

Keep Your Sales Organized

When the day of the sale comes, I’m sure it will be exciting. However, you’ll want to keep track of what actually sells, especially if various members of the household are trying to make a profit. If you're running your sale by yourself, write down the item and quantity that sells to keep track. Another method is to use different color-pricing stickers and collecting them when the item has sold.

Now that you’ve cleaned out your house, the last thing you want to do is bring remaining unwanted items back inside. If you have any leftover items at the end of the sale, try to donate them to your local secondhand store. Often, you’ll get a donation receipt for your taxes and you’ll help to keep your items out of landfills.

Conclusion

Hosting a garage sale can be a lot of fun for the entire family. By taking the time to prepare, you can ensure a successful yard or garage sale that gets you some extra cash, as well as helps to clear your house of clutter.